Comparison

Pixel Islands vs rideplus

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Pixel Islands

This step tracker game transforms your daily walks into a growing pixel-art island. Earn new worlds by walking, with progress visible via a home screen widget. It respects your privacy by only reading step data from Apple Health.

Highlights
  • Real-world step tracking
  • Pixel-art island growth
  • 8 handcrafted island stages
  • Home Screen widget
  • Privacy-focused data handling
  • iCloud sync
  • 20 language localizations
Features
Read full description

Every step you take builds a world. Pixel Islands is a step tracker game for iPhone — a cozy walking game where your real steps, counted privately through Apple Health, grow a floating pixel-art island from bare rock to a living diorama, through 8 handcrafted stages. No ads, no streak pressure, no guilt. Just gentle progress you can actually see. HOW IT WORKS ▸ Walk in real life — the app reads your step count securely from Apple Health ▸ Watch your island evolve through 8 handcrafted stages ▸ Complete an island, then choose your next world ▸ Add the Home Screen widget and watch your island grow without opening the app 21 WORLDS TO GROW Begin on a peaceful grassland, then walk your way to tropical shores, sakura gardens, crystal caves, a steampunk skyport, Mount Olympus, golden Asgard, sunken Atlantis — and now Rustbloom, a lamplit ruin that flowers again as you walk. Every island is a hand-drawn pixel diorama with its own character, and new worlds are always on the way. A STEP COUNTER THAT RESPECTS YOU ▸ Private by design: the app reads your step count — nothing else ▸ No GPS: steps come from motion data your iPhone already collects ▸ Optional, quiet milestone notifications — off until you turn them on ▸ iCloud sync keeps your island collection safe across devices ▸ Beautiful in light and dark mode, localized into 20 languages COMMON QUESTIONS Does Pixel Islands drain my battery? No. Step counting is done by your iPhone's low-power motion chip whether or not any app is installed. Pixel Islands simply reads that count from Apple Health and never uses GPS, so battery impact is close to zero. Does it work with Apple Watch? Yes. Steps recorded by your Apple Watch are saved to Apple Health, and Pixel Islands reads them from there — walks with just your Watch count too. Do I need to keep the app open while I walk? No. Your iPhone counts steps in the background all day. Open Pixel Islands whenever you like and tap through every stage your island grew while you were away — or just glance at the widget. Is Pixel Islands free? Yes — free islands await, and the full loop (walk, grow, complete, choose the next world) is free. Legendary worlds unlock with Pixel Islands Premium, an optional auto-renewable subscription. Is Pixel Islands a walking game or a step counter? Both. Underneath, it is a private pedometer that reads your steps from Apple Health. On top, it is a cozy walking game — a gamified step counter where the reward is not hitting a number, it is watching a world grow. Is it like a virtual pet? Close: think of a Tamagotchi powered by walking. Instead of feeding a creature, your steps grow an island — and it never gets sad or dies while you are away. A slow week just means slower growth. Is my health data private? Pixel Islands reads your step count and nothing else. Your data is never sold, never used for ads, and never shared — it stays in Apple's ecosystem. BUILD A WALKING HABIT THAT STICKS A pedometer shows you a number; Pixel Islands shows you what your steps made. Small walks add up — and your islands remember all of them. Your first island is waiting on bare rock. It grows the moment you do. Website: https://pixelislands.app Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://pixelislands.app/privacy/

About

rideplus

Features
Read full description

すべての移動にプラスを! バイク・車・電車・徒歩・自転車、あらゆる移動距離を自動で記録するライフログアプリです。 【主な機能】 ■ あらゆる移動を自動記録 「徒歩」「自転車」「バイクや車などの自動車系」を自動判別し、移動距離を合算します。 ■ 内訳を見える化 今日の総移動距離に加えて、歩行・サイクリング・バイクや車での移動距離を別々に表示。歩数や消費カロリーも合わせて確認できます。 ■ バーチャル旅行 出発地と目的地を設定するだけで、累計移動距離に応じて地図上を進んでいきます。あらゆる移動を合算するので、世界一周も現実的なスケールに。長距離ルートでもフェリー経由など現実の道路を自動取得します。 ■ 距離目標管理 1日の目標距離(km)を自由に設定。今日の進捗をリングで可視化。配達員の方の稼働距離管理にもご活用いただけます。 ■ 履歴グラフ 週間・月間の移動距離を、歩行・自転車・自動車系の3色で積み上げ表示。日々の動きがひと目でわかります。 ■ 世界ランキング ニックネームを設定すれば、世界中のライダーと距離・カロリー・歩数で競い合えます。今日・今週・今月・年間の4期間で順位を確認できます。 ■ 7色のテーマカラー ローズ・ラベンダー・スカイ・ミント・ピーチ・ゴールド・ブラック。夜間の運転に優しいブラックモードも搭載。 【こんな方におすすめ】 ・バイクで配達されている方(原付・125cc など) ・通勤通学で複数の移動手段を使う方 ・1日の総移動量を可視化したい方 ・バーチャル旅行で達成感を味わいたい方 ・夜間に運転する機会の多い方 すべての移動を価値に変える、rideplus をぜひお試しください。 【プライバシーについて】 位置情報は移動距離の計測のみに使用し、個人を特定する情報や走行ルートを外部に送信することはありません。安心してご利用ください。

Screenshots

Pixel Islands4 screens
rideplus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: rideplus at none against Pixel Islands's 3. rideplus also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). Pixel Islands's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.2). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Pixel Islands sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. rideplus asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pixel Islands ships an update weekly, rideplus every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Pixel Islands versus rideplus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPixel Islandsrideplus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (8 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews66.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings8 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.2
Further details — not scored
Size220 MB20 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKiril LozovoyTAKESHI SUZUKI

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Pixel Islands

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly Access$0.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Access$1.991 Month
One-time1
  • premium$9.99
None

rideplus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pixel Islands free?
Pixel Islands is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is rideplus free?
rideplus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pixel Islands or rideplus have ads?
rideplus shows ads; Pixel Islands does not.
Which is updated more often, Pixel Islands or rideplus?
Pixel Islands ships an update weekly, and rideplus every 3 days. Most recently, Pixel Islands was updated on November 9, 2026 and rideplus on October 31, 2026.

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